A little over 15 years have passed since Spain reigned supreme at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, and Pepe Reina, who was part of that triumphant La Roja squad, now finds himself embarking on a coaching career after hanging up his boots in May.
In somewhat of a homecoming, Reina — who ended his playing days with Italian top-flight outfit Como — is back at Villarreal, where he honed his craft after graduating from Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, as he prepares to lead the Yellow Submarine’s U-19 team.
Displaying the sort of wisdom that can only be garnered from a career at the highest level of the game, Reina spoke to FIFA to reflect on the road to being crowned a world champion on South African soil alongside a golden generation of players, touching on his role within the group, the pivotal part he played in helping Iker Casillas to save Oscar Cardozo’s penalty in the last-eight showdown against Paraguay and the seemingly endless sprint to embrace goalscoring hero Andres Iniesta in the tournament decider.
Pepe Reina: There were several steps along the way, starting with player selection. There was a real shake-up to the squad involving many star players and big names in the dressing room. A new playing style was introduced that featured a lot more combination play. It was a new footballing identity and approach that focused on looking after the ball and being less direct. It was what Barcelona were doing so well at the time, and it was what seemed to be working best.
With the qualifying campaign under way, the change all came about after we returned from Sweden having suffered back-to-back defeats in the space of two months. We then had to prepare for the friendly against Argentina in Murcia. That’s when it seemed like the mindset shifted, and a few things happened. Overcoming the hurdle of the quarter-finals, against Italy, was what really gave us all the belief that we could go on and win the tournament.
We’d already got a taste for silverware, and we knew that we were among the tournament favourites. That said, we were aware we’d have our work cut out because it’s so rare to see a team follow up one trophy triumph with another. We knew that we’d built on our EURO 2008 success with a really good qualifying campaign. The team headed into the tournament in top form, and the squad was practically the same as in 2008. While we naturally welcomed being viewed as one of the favourites, we knew we had to go out and back that status up on the pitch.
I embraced my role, which is how it should be. I was always keen to do a good job and try to earn my chance and, above all, to drive up standards amongst the goalkeepers. My job was to keep Iker on his toes – with me waiting in the wings, he’d have to raise his game knowing I’d be there to challenge for the jersey. He couldn’t afford to rest on his laurels. Ultimately, that benefits the team as a whole. It was part of the role and the secret to that team’s success: those of us who weren’t playing were pushing for a place in the line-up as if we’d been doing it our whole lives.
If anything, it probably reinforced our plan even more. We could have blown things completely out of proportion or scrambled to find a quick fix, but we chose what I think was the most sensible solution: staying calm, trusting the process and approaching the next match with a very similar plan, staying true to our style of play. That’s ultimately what made us champions.
Although there was a sense of urgency because we simply had to win, we stayed calm and the mindset didn’t change. Our outlook was positive, healthy and competitive. But that was also the case before we lost our opening match. We were really dominant in those matches and were completely on top. Apart from a few isolated spells, we were dominant throughout that entire World Cup.
Make no mistake – it was tense. It felt like a do-or-die moment, and we got through it. Iker was fortunate enough to save that penalty and then it was up to us to make it count, take the lead and get the win in what was a really tough match. It was one of our toughest games in that World Cup – perhaps the toughest of them all. The South American teams made our lives really hard – they went man-to-man and imposed a slow, stop-start tempo that constantly interrupted play. That proved tricky for us to manage, but fortunately we survived that decisive moment, which gave us even greater confidence.
I told Iker about an experience I’d had ten months earlier – that probably helped. He chose to follow my advice. He obviously deserves the credit for diving to that side and saving our skin yet again.
Not a lot changed from my perspective, and I don’t think it really did for the rest of the group either. That was the key, really – we were experienced, we were used to competing in those kinds of matches, and we hardly changed our pre-match habits. We stuck to the same routine and gave each other the same advice. We were all very relaxed.
Usually, I’d have been among the first to reach him but, as I was racing down there, I was being overtaken left, right and centre. I remember I wasn’t one of the first. Can you believe that? When he struck that half-volley, time practically stood still. There were still four minutes to go, but that was when we truly felt that we were on the verge of winning it. We felt pure joy, safe in the knowledge that, thanks to that goal, it couldn’t slip away from us.
For me, winning that World Cup was a dream come true. Then again, I didn’t get to enjoy much of the celebrations because I had to do a doping test, but lifting that beautiful, incredible trophy is always a privilege, and it was the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition.
It’s a great feeling for Spain be tipped as one of the favourites again, because it means we’re back in the winning groove. Now we have to go out and show what we’re capable of. First, we have to get the job done in qualifying and then head into the tournament in good shape. I think we’ve got a fantastic crop of players who are just coming into their prime. Despite their youth, they’re already able to compete on the global stage, and they have the experience of winning EURO 2024.
